msdn azure Complete Guide to Cloud Development and Deployment

Azure provides a comprehensive platform for cloud development and deployment, allowing developers to build, deploy, and manage applications with ease.

With Azure, developers can leverage a wide range of services, including virtual machines, storage, and networking.

This flexibility makes Azure an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.

Azure's scalability and reliability ensure that applications are always available and perform well, even during periods of high traffic or unexpected spikes.

By using Azure, developers can focus on writing code and creating innovative applications, rather than worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

Deploying a VM in Azure requires careful consideration, especially when working with MSDN subscriptions. You'll need to choose a VM size that's available in your subscription, such as the Standard_NC6_Promo SKU.

To create a VM, you'll need to select the Ubuntu 20.04 image, East US Region, and configure the VM generation for Generation 1. Be aware that the NC6_Promo size is set to be retired at the end of August 2023.

Here are the key settings to consider when deploying a VM:

It's also a good idea to set up Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs) to control SSH access to the VM, and to configure the NSG after the VM deployment is complete.

We built a robust Azure deployment that combines the power of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) with the flexibility of Azure Virtual Machines (VMs).

With AKS, we can scale our containerized applications with ease, thanks to its automated scaling and self-healing capabilities.

Our deployment also leverages Azure Load Balancer to distribute traffic across multiple VMs, ensuring high availability and minimal downtime.

We've configured Azure Monitor to collect and analyze logs from our AKS cluster and VMs, providing valuable insights into performance and security.

By integrating Azure DevOps with our deployment, we've streamlined our CI/CD pipeline, automating testing, building, and deployment processes.

This setup has significantly reduced deployment times and improved overall efficiency.

To deploy a VM, you'll need to create a Ubuntu 20.04 VM in the East US Region.

You'll want to configure the VM with no infrastructure redundancy, standard security type, and Generation 1, as opposed to the default Generation 2.

The recommended VM size is Standard_NC6_Promo SKU, but keep in mind that this size doesn't support Premium SSDs and will be retired at the end of August 2023.

Here are the specific settings to use when deploying the VM:

After creating the VM, you'll need to configure a Public IP, but don't allow any ports, and set the automated shutdown for 7PM to avoid unnecessary compute costs.

The compute cost for this VM is less than $0.40 per hour.

Running all your applications and services in the cloud can be a game-changer for your development team's productivity and job satisfaction.

Moving everything to the cloud can help you avoid the headache of maintaining internal servers, which can be a significant burden on your team.

A great example of this is Channel 9, which moved its log processing task and other small systems to Windows Azure, freeing up their development team from server management tasks.

However, it's not always easy to move everything to the cloud at once. Channel 9's video encoding process is still a complex system running on internal servers, and it's a reminder of the need to get it moved into Windows Azure.

To make the most of running in the cloud, it's essential to design your applications with cloud architecture in mind. This means building modular code using interfaces and dependency injection, which can make it easier to test and deploy your applications.

Here are some benefits of running your applications in the cloud:

Remember, running in the cloud is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process that requires careful planning and execution.

The web can be slow, especially if you and the server are far apart. This is where a content distribution network (CDN) comes in, bringing content closer to the user.

A CDN maps a server of your content to a specific domain name, and when a user requests content, the request goes to the CDN instead. This allows the CDN to serve the user the content from the closest server.

CDNs have nodes in hundreds of places around the world, making them a good solution for slow connections. If the CDN doesn't have the requested content, they'll fetch it from your original source, making that first request a bit slower.

Static content, such as videos, images, JavaScript, and CSS files, should be served up from the CDN. Channel 9 uses a CDN for all static content, except for personalized content that's based on the signed-in user.

Personalization can make it difficult to leverage a CDN, but it's worth considering for non-personalized content. By pushing everything to the edge, you can improve user experience and reduce load times, even with high-speed connections.

Check this out: Static Web App Azure